What We Ate - January 2017

I have been so unmotivated this past month.  As always I started off excited to eat and cook healthier meals.  I made meal plans, grocery lists, etc.  I fell down on the job.  However!  I somehow lost 9 pounds.  Woo hoo!

So, there's not much to share.  The recipes for the meals are included.

Chicken Thighs and Rice with Black Beans and Cilantro

 This was SO good.  We love cilantro and the chicken thighs were moist and flavorful.  The rice was to die for.  I will be making this again.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

 Fried Egg, Cheddar, Olives and Venison Steak

Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef

 This soup doesn't really have a recipe.  I just use whatever's on hand in the pantry or leftovers from the fridge.  I use leftover pasta meat sauce as a base.  I add chicken stock, veggies, a sauteed onion and whatever spices I'm in the mood for.  It is SO good and no one would ever know you started with last night's spaghetti sauce.

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

This was so simple and was under 300 calories, not including the rice.  It had a kick due to the red pepper flakes and the asparagus was crisp tender, mmm mmm good!

Chicken and Dumplings

Not a great picture, but oh so good.  I always cut my dumplings too big and they puff up huge, lol. They always cook down though.

Did you cook much in January?  What were your favorite meals?  Share in the comments.  I'm always looking for new recipes.

Thanks for stopping by,

Natosha

Whip-It Up Wednesday: One of my quick and easy stand-by dinners.

So, I was feeling pretty lazy about cooking (which has been my attitude a lot lately), so last night I made one of my super easy stand-by dinners that doesn't take any thought at all.  My freezer and pantry is getting low, but I usually always have the ingredients for this meal.

Tilapia, rice and a veggie!

Here are my ingredients:

For the tilapia, I melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add a swish of olive oil.  I sprinkle the fish with lemon-pepper seasoning.  Right now my favorite is Weber Zesty Lemon Pepper, but you can use your favorite.  You can also change up this meal by using cajun spice, italian, etc.

Rice:  I usually use the instant rice that cooks in 5 minutes.  I know, it's not cooking from scratch, but sometimes a girl just ain't got the time or the inclination.  Plus, the instant rice always (well almost always) comes out nice and fluffy and my son loves it.  I add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the water and a pinch of salt.  Here's where you can change thing up easily again, just by adding garlic or parsley, whatever suits you at the moment.  When I use the lemon-pepper seasoning, I always splash a little lemon juice on the fish before serving.

Last night's veggie was a stir-fry mix.  I used a little olive oil and voila!

There you go!  One of my all-time quick, and most importantly, yummy meals.

P.S.  I forgot to tell you, you can also substitute your favorite fish:  catfish, salmon, etc.

Thanks for coming by,
Natosha